{{Short description|Tidal island in Alaska, US}} {{about|the island in Alaska|other islands|Douglas Island (disambiguation)}} [[File:Douglas 6 March 2011 006.jpg|thumb|Douglas Harbor in Douglas, Alaska. Mayflower Island, in the midground at right, houses a U.S. Coast Guard station. Mount Juneau is in the background.]] '''Douglas Island''' ({{langx|tli|Deishú Áakʼw}}) is a tidal island in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the city and borough of Juneau, just west of downtown Juneau and east of Admiralty Island. It is separated from mainland Juneau by the Gastineau Channel, and contains the communities of Douglas and West Juneau.
==History== Douglas Island was named for John Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury, by Captain George Vancouver. Joseph Whidbey, master of {{HMS|Discovery|1789|6}} during Vancouver's expedition, was the first to sight it in 1794.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juneau.org/history/Preservation_Plan/backgd.php |title=Historic Preservation in Juneau |website=juneau.org |accessdate=28 April 2018 |archive-date=7 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107010229/http://www.juneau.org/history/Preservation_Plan/backgd.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1886, non-Native people began to travel to Douglas Island to settle near the developing Treadwell gold mine. By 1902, the Douglas Island community had grown to a population of more than 2,800 residents, as businesses, schools, and homes began to develop alongside the expansion of the nearby gold mine. After the Gastineau Channel flooded the Treadwell mining tunnels in 1917, many residents were forced to move after the town's dramatic economic downturn, causing the Douglas population to decrease steadily until the late 1930s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=H.|first=Choate, Glenda. Gillette, Gary|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/20864179|title=Douglas townsite historic building survey|date=1989|publisher=City and Borough of Juneau|oclc=20864179}}</ref>
During the summer of 1962, the Douglas Indian Village was seized and burned down by Douglas city officials and residents in order to forgo the development of the Douglas Harbor project. The Douglas Harbor project, which was initiated by the Douglas Indian Association and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was a plan to construct a harbor on the Douglas Indian Village site with the intention of having the village rebuilt. In order to obtain control of the project, Douglas city officials invoked eminent domain on the village site while tribal citizens were fishing at their camps along the Taku River. The tribal citizens were not compensated for the property and belongings that were lost in the burning of their village and were forced to relocate once they returned to the island.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Lindoff|first=Kamal|date=2019-08-27 |title=Douglas Indian Village Fire of 1962|url=https://diataku.com/douglas-indian-village-fire-of-1962/|access-date=2021-11-30 |website=Douglas Indian Association - DIATaku|language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Douglas Island, Alaska, ca 1897 (LAROCHE 19).jpeg|thumb|Photo of Douglas Island by Frank La Roche ca. 1897]] The Juneau-Douglas Bridge, which was first built in 1935, connected Douglas Island with West Juneau. In 1970, the communities of Douglas and Juneau joined to form the City and Borough of Juneau.<ref name=":0" /> The Juneau-Douglas Bridge was later rebuilt in 1980 to provide a two lane road to and from the island and to accommodate both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.<ref name="JDB">{{cite web|title=Structures / Douglas Bridge / Images|url=http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0026999|publisher=Structurae|accessdate=2011-02-18}}</ref> There have been plans to build a new bridge from North Douglas to the Mendenhall Valley.
==Geography== Admiralty Island lies to the west and south, across the Stephens Passage. [[File:Douglas 6 March 2011 001.jpg|thumb|Resting place of several members of the Taku's Raven Clan.]] thumb|left|Mining operations at Treadwell Gold Mine on Douglas Island, circa 1900 Features of the island include remnants of the Treadwell gold mine, Sandy Beach, the only sand beach in the Juneau area (made from mine tailings), Eaglecrest Ski Area, Perseverance Theatre, and the Douglas Public Library. As a tidal island, Douglas is connected to the mainland at its north end when the Gastineau Channel is at low tide. During low tide, Douglas Island is connected with Juneau's Twin Lakes area, the Juneau International Airport as well as other sites. [[File:Douglas Bridge.jpg|thumb|Douglas Bridge, the bridge crossing Gastineau Channel, connecting downtown Juneau with Douglas Island. The original bridge was built in 1935. The replacement (current) bridge, shown here, was completed in 1980.]] Douglas is usually thought of as two areas: downtown Douglas {{coord|58|16|32|N|134|23|33|W|scale:50000}} (including West Juneau {{coord|58|17|42|N|134|25|46|W|scale:10000}}), containing Douglas Harbor, Sandy Beach, the mines, the library, Gastineau Elementary, the theatre, the gas station, the few bars and restaurants, and the bridge to Juneau; and North Douglas Island, containing a tank farm, Eaglecrest Ski Area, and a heliport.
The island has a land area of {{convert|76.93|sqmi|2}} and had a population of 5,297 at the 2000 United States census, with over half of the island's population residing in Douglas proper. It is part of the City and Borough of Juneau. The island's highest point, Mount Ben Stewart, was named in honor of Benjamin D. Stewart (1878–1976), an early mayor of Juneau.
===Climate=== {{Weather box |location = Douglas Island, Alaska (Eaglecrest, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2004–present) |single line = Y | Jan record high F = 53 | Feb record high F = 53 | Mar record high F = 54 | Apr record high F = 61 | May record high F = 75 | Jun record high F = 85 | Jul record high F = 82 | Aug record high F = 84 | Sep record high F = 75 | Oct record high F = 60 | Nov record high F = 50 | Dec record high F = 49 | year record high F = | Jan avg record high F = 39.1 | Feb avg record high F = 41.4 | Mar avg record high F = 44.4 | Apr avg record high F = 53.9 | May avg record high F = 67.4 | Jun avg record high F = 73.4 | Jul avg record high F = 75.1 | Aug avg record high F = 74.8 | Sep avg record high F = 65.5 | Oct avg record high F = 51.8 | Nov avg record high F = 42.3 | Dec avg record high F = 40.3 | year avg record high F = 78.5 | Jan high F = 28.9 | Feb high F = 30.2 | Mar high F = 33.7 | Apr high F = 43.6 | May high F = 52.3 | Jun high F = 57.7 | Jul high F = 59.5 | Aug high F = 59.3 | Sep high F = 52.9 | Oct high F = 42.3 | Nov high F = 34.1 | Dec high F = 29.7 | year high F = 43.7 | Jan mean F =24.4 | Feb mean F =25.6 | Mar mean F =28.2 | Apr mean F =36.3 | May mean F =43.9 | Jun mean F =50.2 | Jul mean F =53.4 | Aug mean F =52.9 | Sep mean F =47.1 | Oct mean F =38.0 | Nov mean F =30.2 | Dec mean F =26.3 | year mean F =38.0 | Jan low F = 19.9 | Feb low F = 20.9 | Mar low F = 22.6 | Apr low F = 28.9 | May low F = 35.4 | Jun low F = 42.6 | Jul low F = 47.3 | Aug low F = 46.5 | Sep low F = 41.2 | Oct low F = 33.7 | Nov low F = 26.2 | Dec low F = 22.8 | year low F = 32.3 | Jan avg record low F = 1.4 | Feb avg record low F = 4.6 | Mar avg record low F = 6.6 | Apr avg record low F = 18.5 | May avg record low F = 27.0 | Jun avg record low F = 32.4 | Jul avg record low F = 39.2 | Aug avg record low F = 39.1 | Sep avg record low F = 30.6 | Oct avg record low F = 25.2 | Nov avg record low F = 10.6 | Dec avg record low F = 7.3 | year avg record low F = -4.2 | Jan record low F = -10 | Feb record low F = -13 | Mar record low F = -5 | Apr record low F = 10 | May record low F = 7 | Jun record low F = 16 | Jul record low F = 25 | Aug record low F = 33 | Sep record low F = 18 | Oct record low F = 14 | Nov record low F = -5 | Dec record low F = -7 | year record low F = | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 9.44 | Feb precipitation inch = 6.52 | Mar precipitation inch = 6.29 | Apr precipitation inch = 5.94 | May precipitation inch = 5.32 | Jun precipitation inch = 6.07 | Jul precipitation inch = 8.11 | Aug precipitation inch = 10.07 | Sep precipitation inch = 13.09 | Oct precipitation inch = 12.65 | Nov precipitation inch = 10.59 | Dec precipitation inch = 10.43 | year precipitation inch = 104.52 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 22.2 | Feb precipitation days = 17.9 | Mar precipitation days = 18.1 | Apr precipitation days = 17.5 | May precipitation days = 15.9 | Jun precipitation days = 19.4 | Jul precipitation days = 19.6 | Aug precipitation days = 20.5 | Sep precipitation days = 21.1 | Oct precipitation days = 22.9 | Nov precipitation days = 22.0 | Dec precipitation days = 22.3 | Jan snow inch = 36.2 | Feb snow inch = 39.3 | Mar snow inch = 37.2 | Apr snow inch = 9.2 | May snow inch = 0.7 | Jun snow inch = 0.0 | Jul snow inch = 0.0 | Aug snow inch = 0.0 | Sep snow inch = 0.0 | Oct snow inch = 1.8 | Nov snow inch = 28.8 | Dec snow inch = 40.6 | year snow inch = | unit snow days = 0.1 in | Jan snow days =15.1 | Feb snow days =13.7 | Mar snow days =14.7 | Apr snow days =6.1 | May snow days =0.3 | Jun snow days =0.0 | Jul snow days =0.0 | Aug snow days =0.0 | Sep snow days =0.0 | Oct snow days =0.7 | Nov snow days =12.5 | Dec snow days =17.1 | year snow days =
|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=ajk |title=Eaglecrest, AK - NOWData Juneau|accessdate=August 11, 2022}}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00502610&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Eaglecrest Base, AK |access-date = February 15, 2023 }} </ref>
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==Politics== Following the 2012 election of Merrill Sanford, the incumbent mayor of Juneau, the ''Juneau Empire'' noted the island's "outsized contribution" to Juneau-area politics. Sanford, Byron Mallott (former lieutenant governor of Alaska) and Dennis Egan (currently Juneau's representative in the Alaska Senate) live in West Juneau. Sally Smith, who succeeded Egan as mayor, lives in the Lawson Creek neighborhood between Douglas and West Juneau, while her successor Bruce Botelho lives in Douglas. Beth Kerttula, who represented portions of Juneau in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2014, lives in North Douglas.<ref>{{cite news|title=In Juneau politics, Douglas Island looms large|first=Mark D.|last=Miller|newspaper=Juneau Empire|date=November 15, 2012|accessdate=January 20, 2015|url=http://www.juneauempire.com/local/2012-11-15/juneau-politics-douglas-island-looms-large/|archive-date=January 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120212920/http://juneauempire.com/local/2012-11-15/juneau-politics-douglas-island-looms-large|url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally, John Dimond, the first Juneau-based justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, lived in Douglas, while his successor Robert Boochever lived along the Douglas Highway a half-mile north of Douglas's then-city limits.
==References== {{Portal|Alaska}} *[https://www.census.gov Douglas Island: Blocks 1004 thru 1039, Block Group 1; Block Group 2; Block Group 3; Census Tract 6, Juneau City and Borough, Alaska] United States Census Bureau <references/>
==External links== {{Commons category|Douglas Island}}
{{coord|58|16|14|N|134|30|21|W|scale:500000|display=title}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Tidal islands of the United States Category:Islands of the Alexander Archipelago Category:Islands of Juneau, Alaska Category:Islands of Alaska